The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review #2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is out in theaters today, so you can find out for yourself if the movie is good or not. But if you’re wondering if the movie is worth watching without wasting your dollars, then hopefully this review can help.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 starts off after Spider-Man has become somewhat of a hero in New York City. Some think he’s a menace, and others adore the web slinger, especially Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx). The movie follows Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) as he tries to have a healthy relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). That’s easier said than done, since the death of Stacy’s dad is still haunting him. Her life may be in danger if he continues to be with her, so Peter is faced with a tough choice.

Director Marc Webb has introduced us to three new villains, and some fans were worried that it might ruin the movie (Spider-Man 3, anyone?). We have Rhino (Paul Giamatti), Electro and Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan). If Rhino was removed from the film, we wouldn’t be missing much (his screen time is really short). If we remove Electro, the movie’s pacing would have been improved significantly, since his story really didn’t add much, yet he’s got a lot of screen time. Plus, the story is very schizophrenic and all over the place, like Max Dillon’s rise from the bottom, Harry Osborn coming back to Oscorp to run the company, and Peter Parker’s love story.

Usually the love story takes a backseat in these types of movies, but since it’s Marc Webb we’re talking about, it’s at the forefront. (He did direct (500) Days of Summer after all.) Garfield as Peter Parker and Stone as Gwen Stacy are easily the highlights of the film. We care about their relationship and where they want to take it. With that said, the thought that the love story is actually the best part of the movie just doesn’t sit well. We’re suppose to be enthralled in the action and seeing a guy who can swing fight against electricity. The fight choreography with Spidey and the villains are forgettable.

If you pay attention to the music, you would notice that there are two types of music. One is by composer Hans Zimmer, and the other is by the group The Magnificent Six. It’s not one of Zimmer’s strongest, and his collaboration with the Six leaves a lot to be desired. There was a scene that featured Electro surrounded by cops in Times Square, and you can hear chanting.

The movie also suffers from the whole “I already saw this from the Raimi movies” syndrome. In Amazing Spider-Man, we had to watch Uncle Ben die again, and now in the sequel, we’ll have to see Peter Parker friendship with Harry Osborn dip again. And speaking of friendship, their friendship felt very forced. To explain why Harry was gone, the movie explained that he was in boarding school, and now that Harry’s father is suffering, Peter figured he can visit and hang out with him again, since he also lost a father figure. If Electro was removed, we could have seen their friendship flesh out more.

So what is enjoyable in the film? The best part of the movie is the romance between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. It felt real and the actors pulled off an amazing job as their respective characters. Another highlight is the special effects, especially watching Spider-Man swing around Manhattan and Electro being electrifying.

If you’re a fan Spider-Man, it’s still worth checking out, but other than that, the movie was okay and didn’t do much to try to surpass its predecessor.

Rating: 2.5 Atoms

Also, you can check out our article on the special effects of The Amazing Spider-Man 2here. You can read Mark’s review here.